"Microphone Check 1-2 What is This…"

My iPhone Reset Was the Best Thing That Happened Yesterday

Mercury Retrograde Got Me. I’m well aware not everyone believes in that sort of thing, but let’s just say between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, things weren’t working in my favor.

I first left my iPhone charger & wall connector on the main campus of the school I work at, and was forced to buy a new one on the way home (S/O to my local 7 Eleven for having $5 iPhone 5 chargers). Apparently, Apple had a new update with features I probably won’t even use, but because I hate notifications on my phone, I set it up to take place overnight.

1 problem: I didn’t have the wall plug for the cord.

So I plugged my phone into my laptop, kept my laptop on and went to sleep. Simple enough. Right?

Rest in Peace Charlie Murphy.

While in the process of updating, my laptop decided it wanted to go to sleep. This led to a few things taking place, and Mercury Retrograde whispering to me “Gotcha Bitch”.

First , My iPhone died after my laptop went to sleep, because charging from a laptop is always a longer process than from a direct outlet. Secondly, because my phone died in the middle of the process of updating, the iPhone basically had a factory reset. It didn’t even have knowledge of previous backups. Basically, I lost everything overnight except my contacts (because luckily it got those from iCloud, due to lack of space on my cloud, I ain’t updated my photos in literally over a year).

So basically, at 6:40 am, I woke up looking like this the photo to the right. I spent about a half hour, trying to recover everything, complete the update, etc. Alas, nothing worked.

And that was literally the best thing that could have happened to me.

4 of my last 5 phones have been iPhones, so the amount of apps, pictures, data, etc. I gained over that time was substantial. I’m not the person who goes to delete text messages. I rarely delete photos, and I actually participate in real life Spring cleaning more than I actually clean up the apps on my phone and get rid of those I don’t really use.

This purge of remnants of my past was a mishap that was supposed to take place. I started to realize how subtly the weight of holding on to so many things from the past on your phone could be. How something as little as a picture of that one time you and your ex/ old friends/ family members you fell out with/ etc. could hinder moving forward with life, stirring up thoughts and memories that while you may never forget, aren’t necessary to dwell on. I figured every picture worth keeping was something I probably shared on social media. Every text message from the past can remain in the past. And as far as the apps? Well, just like in life, why hoard things you don’t need?

So, I went and downloaded the apps that I do use week-to-week, and actually had a relatively clear-minded day, with far fewer push notifications than usual. I ain’t saying to reset your phone, just advocating to include your phone on your Spring Cleaning list. It may not be that deep for you, but it may help Restore your sanity.